It seems to be a day for Dogster stories and posts about digging. So here’s another one to fit the deep theme du jour.

Remember that scene in the movie Marley, where John Grogan and his family bury Marley? It’s the one you probably viewed from behind your soggy Kleenex. Well, it turns out that Marley’s final resting place was actually not quite final. Grogan and his wife recently dug him up — more than eight years after his last breath — so he could be near them in their new home.

It’s not as Frankensteinian as it sounds. They did it out of love, and a sense of debt for the literal riches he brought to their lives. Here’s how Grogan describes the birth of the unburial idea, in the latest edition of Parade:

From our new home, it nagged at us. Finally, one morning, Jenny blurted out what wed both been thinking: What about Marley? We cant just leave him behind. I resisted at first. The thought of exhuming our beloved bad boy sounded like the kind of behavior I normally attribute to those nutty dog people.

But Marley was no ordinary pet. He would forever be a beacon of loyalty and trust, a life force that changed us forever. We knew what we had to do.

You can read the entire story here. A black plastic “shroud” keeps it from being gory.

Marley, may you rest in peace. At least until the Grogans’ next move…